Everything was in Drew Allar's favor on Saturday. He had all the tools to walk over of Beaver Stadium a winner. He should've had a fire lit under him. It was time to prove himself and his team as worthy national title contenders.
Instead, he walked in lacking confidence and walked out deflated and defeated. Allar earned well-deserved boos from fans at home.
What happened to the dynamic duo in the backfield? What happened to the wide receiver transfers No. 7 Penn State was excited to show off? What happened to the tight end room that was ready to step up in the absence of Tyler Warren? It's question after question regarding the Nittany Lion (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) offense, but it can only do so much with a quarterback who lacks in nearly everything.
His lack of self-confidence spread like the plague across the offense, the running backs couldn't get going and his pass catchers were basically nonexistent, his footwork was sloppy despite claims that it was a focus of his in the offseason, his decision making was terrible, he was frantic and stressed, his passes were off target, and he underperformed so drastically that it's time to accept that Allar will never be who Penn State had in mind. The list goes on and on.
Allar finished with his second-lowest completion percentage (59 percent) and had the fewest pass yards (137) in the season so far. His costly interception that ended the game was a case of déjà vu that haunts the Nittany Lions.
Yes, there were good aspects of his game. Two touchdown passes to Devonte Ross in the fourth quarter, the first good for 35 yards and the second for seven with 30 seconds left of regulation, give fans hope. Don't let the fourth quarter fool you. Don't let an A- performance in Week 1 derail you from the truth. Those highlights are far and few between. Hoping for a turnaround in his game is a recipe for disappointment.
Allar waking up after three quarters of poor play doesn't mean he's the guy. If he only plays to win for one quarter, he can't lead Penn State deep into the playoffs, never mind to a national title-winning season. Allar brought his team down and proved once again he can't handle the heat. Put him in a high-pressure situation, and he'll crash and burn. It's as simple as that.